Notre Dame Edges UAlbany on Late Goal in Battle of Top-15 Men's Lacrosse Teams

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

South Bend, Ind. – Peter Christman scored the game-winning goal with 23.7 seconds remaining to lift No. 6 Notre Dame past UAlbany, 7-6, on Saturday, March 1 at Loftus Sports Center. The Fighting Irish, who are also ranked 10th by Inside Lacrosse, improved to 3-0 on the season.

Notre Dame, who opened its schedule with wins over Loyola, Md. and Penn State, broke a 4-4 tie in the third quarter when Duncan Swezey converted a bounce shot in transition following a turnover in the defensive end. Swezey, a junior attack who tied a career-high with four goals, gave his team a 6-4 lead by connecting off a crossing pass from Alex Wharton early in the final period.

UAlbany (0-2) rallied to draw even on a pair of goals by Corey Small. The junior attackman finished off a play from in close on the right side after taking a Derek Dale’s pass from behind the cage. Small, who had three goals, tied the contest with 50 seconds left. Steve Ammann drove to the midfield of the field before feeding Small who sent a blast into the net.

After Notre Dame won the subsequent face-off, Christman drove to the net, shot faked and then went to his backhand in beating goalkeeper Brett Queener to the left side. UAlbany’s Jordan Levine had his last-second attempt deflected in an effort to send the game to an extra period.

The Fighting Irish, who have won 11 consecutive regular-season games and 15 straight at home, dominated the opening 20 minutes of action. Swezey scored twice in the first quarter before Grant Krebs gave his team a 4-0 lead with 11:37 remaining in the second quarter following a turnover. The Great Danes regrouped with four unanswered over a four-minute span. Mike Ammann sliced the deficit to one with a 10-yard shot from the right. Small drew his club even at four apiece after Queener started a fastbreak following one of his 11 saves.

Dale finished with three assists for the Great Danes, who fell to top-ranked Johns Hopkins in their season opener one week ago. Notre Dame goalkeeper Joey Kemp, last year’s Great Western Lacrosse League Player of the Year and an honorable mention All-American, totaled 11 saves. The Fighting Irish are now 91-26 all-time in the Loftus Sports center, one of just six indoor Division I lacrosse facilities.

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#13 UAlbany (0-2) 0 4 0 2 - 6

#6 Notre Dame (3-0) 3 1 1 2 - 7

UAlbany – Corey Small 3-0, Derek Dale 1-3, Mike Ammann 1-0, Matt Johnson 1-0, Joe Pompo 0-1, Tyler Endres 0-1, Steve Ammann 0-1; Goalkeeper(s): Brett Queener (60:00, 11 saves, 7 GA).

Notre Dame – Duncan Swezey 4-0, Grant Krebs 1-1, Michael Podgajny 1-0, Peter Christman 1-0, Alex Wharton 0-1; Goalkeeper(s); Joey Kemp (60:00, 11 saves, 6 GA).